MatchaBar Eliminated Support Blockers and Built Partnership for Growth with Skio

Brooklyn Matcha Brand Pivoted to DTC-First

MatchaBar built brand around original blends of ceremonial grade matcha through in-person activation at cafés, pop-ups, and events. Based in Brooklyn, the brand quickly pivoted to DTC-first approach when COVID hit, shifting from past strategies focused on physical presence.

Audrey Lee joined to head digital marketing with clear mandate: make subscription experience seamless for customer base that became majority subscribers and repeat buyers. The brand's newfound reliance on subscriptions required platform that could support sustainable growth.

Over half of MatchaBar's user base are subscribers or returning customers, making subscription simplification top priority for business success and customer retention.

Recharge Created Admin Blockers and Support Flood

MatchaBar's Recharge setup generated consistent influx of customer support requests due to subscribers' inability to easily manage accounts. Support ticket overflow drained time and capital as employees were reassigned to troubleshooting rather than growth activities.

Users couldn't figure out basic functions: adjusting plans and preferences, canceling upcoming charges, or managing login details. Platform's general unintuitiveness created barrier to entry that extended to administrative end.

"On the customer end, we got so many tickets asking for help with what should be intuitive aspects of the UX. You want to make platforms as easy as possible for the buyer—Recharge just didn't have that in place."

MatchaBar team struggled to customize user-facing widgets or update product SKUs, creating frustration when forced to alter pricing structure during pandemic. Recharge's support channels required days past initial contact for simple changes that could have been avoided with navigable UX.

Key improvements either couldn't be met in time by Recharge team or would have required bringing on developer to code in-house solution—another potential sinkhole for time and capital.

Geoffrey Miles Recommendation Led to Platform Switch

After watching emails flood in from struggling subscribers, Audrey knew it was time to switch away from Recharge. Geoffrey Miles, advisor to MatchaBar and VP of Marketing at Bev, made initial Skio recommendation due to his team's success with platform.

After Skio demo, Audrey attended internal MatchaBar meeting where she laid out all required elements from excellent subscription service—concluding Skio could deliver everything Recharge was missing.

Migration hesitancy about existing subscriber experience proved unfounded. Skio team ensured process ran seamlessly across the board, requiring minimal work from MatchaBar team through simple file transfers to Stripe, Braintree, and other services.

MatchaBar chose complete subscriber migration since current subscribers would retain total access to previous account info and order history. Communications to subscription holders about update that would improve experiences received maybe "email or two tops" in response.

Intuitive Design and Collaborative Partnership

Skio's intuitive, clean-cut design plus passwordless secure login meant support tickets struggling with basic account management quickly dropped. Navigation ease extended to MatchaBar team being able to easily make alterations and handle requests on admin end.

Cost center of employees previously sifting through emails and struggling with platform controls became unblocked, enabling focus on strategic initiatives rather than troubleshooting.

Stark contrast to delayed Recharge communications emerged through personal working relationship with Skio team. Open dialogue lines through Skio's chat widget on Slack enabled general discussion, troubleshooting, and ideating.

When Audrey requested family plan option removal since it conflicted with MatchaBar's pricing structure, it came off customers' landing page "instantaneously"—demonstrating platform flexibility and responsiveness.

Daily Collaboration Enabling Sustained Growth

Support ticket reduction from flood to minimal volume

Instant platform modifications replacing multi-day delays

Daily collaboration on functionality and feature improvements

Passwordless login eliminating basic account management issues

MatchaBar subscribers became "comfortably settled" on Skio platform through three main components: clearing customer support blockers, instant feedback and communications, and genuine collaboration for long-term building.

"Skio has been terrific because they seem dedicated to every individual customer. Whether I have an issue or an idea, I'll run it by them and someone will have a thoughtful response immediately."

Daily contact with Skio team enables passing along ideas on what's working, potential functionality requests, and receiving news on upcoming updates rolling out for users.

Partnership Foundation for Long-Term Growth

MatchaBar transformed subscription experience from support burden into growth enabler through collaborative partnership that prioritizes individual customer success over bureaucratic processes.

"Over half of MatchaBar's user base are subscribers or returning customers, so simplifying subscriptions has been our top priority. I can't stress enough how great the Skio team has been in this process."

Platform flexibility and instant responsiveness enable confident pursuit of growth initiatives including family subscription plans, SMS and email notifications, and brand ambassador relationships that drive sustained subscription growth.